Cyclone Montha: Heavy rain, strong wind in AP, Odisha; train and flight services cancelled

Mangalore Today News Network

Hyderabad, Oct 28, 2025: Cyclone Montha is strengthening over the Bay of Bengal, bringing fierce winds and heavy rainfall in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on Tuesday. The storm is expected to make landfall near Kakinada between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam on Tuesday evening or night, as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds touching 100–110 kmph, according to the India Meteorological Centre.

Several train and flight services have been cancelled as a precaution.

As many as 16 districts in Andhra Pradesh are on a red alert as the State is bracing itself for the landfall of the cyclone.

Officials have been instructed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to evacuate inhabitants of coastal districts at risk of the cyclone to designated rehabilitation centres.

Leaves of all government employees have been cancelled. Control centres of the SDRF and APSDMA have been activated, and satellite phones arranged to maintain communication.

Authorities have set up cyclone shelters across 57 coastal mandals and brought 62 mechanised boats back to shore.

Tourist movement along coastal areas has been banned, while educational institutions in most coastal districts have been closed until Wednesday. SDRF and NDRF teams were kept on standby for emergency operations.

Railway authorities have cancelled as many as 65 passenger and express trains across coastal Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Montha approaches the State’s coast. The cancellations affect key routes through Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Bhimavaram and will remain in place from October 28 to 29

The East Coast Railway has also suspended several services along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh corridor.

Flight operations have also been affected. All IndiGo and Air India Express flights scheduled for October 28 at Visakhapatnam Airport have been cancelled due to adverse weather. Passengers are advised to check flight status before travelling to the airport.

In Andhra Pradesh, vulnerable population, including pregnant women, the elderly and coastal belt residents, have been shifted to safer locations. Around 260 relief centres have been readied in Kakinada and 140 in Nellore, with food, milk and water stocked for two to three days.